Trolley shoe



J. L. WHITTAKER.

TROLLEY SHOE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2, 1918.

1,4 1 1 ,893. Patented p 4, 1922.

171200 7 7270? John/11971013327117: 3'-

I unites era rarest OFFICE.

TRo LnY snon COMPANY, on wnsr NEWTON, assncnrisnirrs, A Conro- RATION or MASSACHUSETTS.

TROLLEY SHOE.

Left:

Application filed May 2, 1918. Serial No. 232,006;

111720722. it may come m:

. it known that l, Jenn L. lVnirTAnnn, a. citizen of the United States. a-nd'resident of lVinthrop, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Trolley Shoes,- of which the following description, in connection with the aij-companying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to current collectors for trolley systems. The particular purpose is to provide an improved device of that type wherein the contact member is a shoe which slides along the troll y wire as distinguished from a wheel which rolls thereon.

My invention will best be understood by reference to the following description of an illustrative embodiment thereof shown in the abcoinpany-ing drawings wherein Figure l is a side elevation of a collector in operative position on the trolley wire;

2 is a central longitudinal section of the same, the parts being in the position they assume when not in contact with the wire; and

Fig. 3 isa section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

in the drawings 1. have shown the collector member as carried by a harp 5 which is formed with a tubular cap 7 adapted to be fitted to the end of a trolley pole which elevated toward the t-rolleywire W by any of the usual forms ofsprmg gear. llere'in the harp is forked and provided with side arms 9 and a bottom plate 11 integral with the side plates and closing the space between them, the bottom plate serving to prevent the entrance of the trolley wire'between the arms of the harp. The plate may be perforated at i2to provide for drainage. in the form here shown the bottom plate ii is extended, as at 1.3,to further guard the. shoe mounted in the harp as will hereinafter more fully appear. .Theharp may be pro vided with a loop 15 to receive the usual. controlling rope.

The collector shoe proper is denoted generally by the numeral 17 and may comprise a suitable casting or forging formed with a tread portion 19 and a downwardly projecting web 21 adapted to be received between the arms of the harp and pivoted thereto. Herein (see Figs. 1 and 3) a pivot pin or Specification of Letters Patent.

Pat nt d pr 4, 1 2- pintle .2 is provided which terminates substantially flush with the outer faces of the arms 9 so that therewill be no projecting portions which might catch the trolley wire. In the pintle 23 here shown is a cavity 25. As shown in Fig. l, a cotter 27 may be passed through the edge-of the side plate 9 through the wall of cavity 25 and have its end expanded in the cavity. Thus but one end of the cotter projects and that is shielded by the overhang of the tread .19 of the shoe which, as appears from Fig. 3, is wider than the harp, overhangs the side plates thereof and thus prevents the trolley wire from coming in contact with the arms of the harp in such a manner that parts might be arc-welded immovably in position.

The tread portion 19 of the shoe may be extended, herein forwardly, to provide a depending bill 29 entering between the arms of the harp and thus, as will be clear from Fig. 1, providing a guard which will prevent a wire from passing underneath the front end of the shoe. The extension 13 already referred to will prevent the wire from passing under the rear end thereof. The provision of the extension 29 provides for such a balance of the shoe that when it is out of contact with and unrestrained by the trolley wire N it will normally tip to the position shown in Fig. 2. The purpose of this will be. more fully apparent hereafter.

The tread portion 19 of'the shoe is channeled to provide a wire-receiving groove 31. As appears from Fig. 2, the depth ofv this groove diminishes from the rear portion of the shoe, or what may be called the summit port-ion since it is highest-when the shoe is in the position shown, toward the front where the bottom of the groove merges into the outer surface of the bill 29. In other words, the summit portion of the shoe is flanked by comparatively deep flanges 33 which may be somewhat rounded at the rear end as shown and which flanges aretapereiil in height toward the forward end of the shoe. I

In the normal operation of the shoe-,it is elevated toward the trolley wire in the position shown in Fig. 2 and the rear end of the tread surface flanked by the deep flanges 33 is presented upwardly. The uppermost part of the shoe is of comparatively small extent horizontally and thus the positioning of the same on the wire is easy. \Vhen the shoe is in position the pressure of the wire against the uppermost portion will tilt the shoe downwardly against the over-balancing weight of the bill 29 and bring it into the position shown in Fig. 1. An'extension on the shoemay be provided to cooperate with a projection 37 on the rear side of the harp to limit such tilting movement. Thus, in the normal operative position of the device an elongated contact surface is provided between the collector shoe. and the wire.

Trouble has hitherto been experienced with sliding contact shoes in rounding curves. As the shoe tended to take a position angular to the wire, the long flanges flanking the wire-receiving groove rode beneath the same from opposite sides at opposite ends and tended to unseat the wire. With the construction here shown it is possible to provide a contact surface, say, four inches in length and yet round curves as easily as with a collector wheel four inches in diameter. At the same time the wearing or milling action on the wire of the flanges of the revolving trolley wheel is avoided. A further advantage of the forwardly tapering flanges shown is that in passing electrical connections, frogs and the like, the latter ride smoothly up the sloping surfaces and are not struck with a sharp blow as would be the case with flanges of uniform depth.

In the present embodiment of the invention I have shown a connecting bond between the shoeand the harp which may consist of a copper braid 39 housed between the arms 9 of the harp and which may be connected at one end to the bottom plate 11 and at the other adjacent the extremity of the depending bill portion 29. Conveniently, the former connection is made by a bolt, as shown, so that the shoe may be easily dismounted on the road if desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1.. An overhead contact device of the class described comprising a shoe having an elongated, flat wire contacting surface, flanges flanking the same to define a groove loosely receiving the trolley wire, the portions of the flanges which are aligned with said flat contact surface providing high crests markedly tapered substantially to merge with said surface whereby a deep retaining means for the trolley wire is provided for while permitting lateral angular movement of the shoe and wire.

2. An overhead device comprising a forked harp, a shoe having a grooved tread ortion overhanging the arms of the harp an a web pivoted between them, said tread portion extending as a depending bill entering between the arms of said harp and providing a guard to prevent a wire from entering beneath the shoe.

3. An overhead device comprising a forked harp, a shoe having a grooved tread portion overhanging the arms of the harp and a web pivoted between them, said tread ortion extending as a depending bill entering between the arms of said harp and providing a guard to prevent a wire from entering beneath the shoe and the parts being so proportioned that said guard provides an overbalancing weight tending to elevate the op posite end of the tread.

4:. An overhead device comprising a forked harp, a shoe having a grooved tread portion overhanging the arms of the bar and a web pivoted between them, said trea portion extending as a depending bill entering between the arms of said harpand providing a guard to prevent a wire from entering beneath the shoe and an extension from said harp overlapping the other end of the shoe and providing a guard therefor.

5. An overhead device comprising a forked. harp, a shoe having a tread portion and a web pivoted between the arms of the harp, said tread portion having .a wire-receiving substantially flat-bottomed groove diminishing in depth from the rear end of the shoe, said: portion being extended forwardly as a bill entering between the arms of the harp and providing an overbalancing weight for tipping upwardly said rear end.

(3. An overhead device of the class described, comprising a harp, a shoe pivoted thereto having provision for swinging the rear en d thereof upwardly :when unrestrained by the trolley wire, said shoe having an elongated substantially flat contact surface and a pair of flanges flanking the same rising to their maximum height adjacent said rear end and dropping markedly therefrom rearwardly of the forward end of said surface.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHN L. WHITTAKER. 

